Myanmar Humanitarian & Welfare Project 2018 Report

This latest report covers Firefly Mission’s projects in Myanmar from 2003 to 2018. Myanmar is where FFM started our first oversea project back in 2003 and of now, we have involved in numerous projects across Myanmar covering Education & school, Medical & Health, Community welfare, Relief & rehabilitation etc.

Background –

On 1 Oct 2005, Firefly Mission (FFM) was official registered as a society in Singapore. The first overseas project, “Song of Apsaras” focused on health and community welfare in Myanmar. It is during then, FFM established the network and contacts for Myanmar.

On 2 May 2008, Cyclone Nargis made landfall in Myanmar, crossing the south of the country over two days, and devastating the Ayeyarwady Delta region. According to official figures, 150,000 people were killed. However as many Myanmar villagers are not registered, the actual death toll may be much higher. A total of 37 townships were significantly affected by the cyclone. The UN estimated that as many as 2.4 million people were affected.

FFM started the immediate relief work for the natural disaster and has since then provided rehabilitation works to the affected Cyclone Nargis areas and other parts of Myanmar. FFM has provided necessary educational, medical and sanitation infrastructures to the communities in Myanmar amounting to over S$3.5mil.

Summary of projects

Song of Apsaras

Immediate flooding relief work in 2008, 2015 and 2018

Children Sponsorship Program

Build hostels and facilities for Shwegyin Youth Development Centre

Build 65 schools/hostels

Build and provide 10 medical clinics/ medical facilities

Build 94 wells

Build 3 bridges

Build 1 jetty

Cataract Eye Operation

Feeding program @ Pyin Oo Lwin

[Song of Apsaras]

In 2001, partnering with Burmese Buddhist Temple, Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, National University of Singapore Buddhist Society and Palelai Buddhist Temple; the group embarked on the “Song of Apsaras Humanitarian Mission” to the Union of Myanmar. With this initial humanitarian mission, the group became known as the Firefly Mission and was officially registered under the Societies Act, Singapore in 2005 (UEN: T05SS0200D).

Repaired 2 badly damaged monasteries to be used as temporary school accommodating for about 300 students.

Distributed stationeries to school children in rural school at Bogale, Dedaye, Moulmeingyun and Pyapon township

2015

Severe flooding in Myanmar began in July 2015 and continued into September, affecting 12 of the country’s 14 states, most of the damages were reported from the Irrawaddy Delta.

Firefly Mission received request for help from Sayadaw Kevala, Bhante Aggasara, Bhane Vanasiri and Bhante Sopaka. These respectable Sangha members have been FFM”S trusted partners in compassion, for most of our projects and programs in Myanmar, since 2004. They have reached out to the victims at various affected areas.

Severe flooding at Myanmar in 2015

2018

On Jun 2018, heavy monsoon rain hit Myanmar. FFM sponsorsed home, Shwergyin Homes is a centre for the villagers affected by the flood.

2/3 of Shwegyin and nearby 10 villages are flooded and over 10,000 flood victims are in camps in Shwegyin. Swergyin Homes are helping by distributing food, purified drinking water, medicines, transportation and other supplies.

[Children Sponsorship Program]

Children sponsorship programme is in support of children who come from extremely poor families who are unable to support their livelihood and education as well as children who were orphaned by Cyclone Nagis. The children are staying in the the Shwegyin Youth Development Centre located in Shwegyin and is managed by Parahita (Charitable) Monastery.

The sponsorship programme started in March 2009 with 50 children and has increased to 150 children in 2014.

[Build hostels and facilities for Shwegyin Youth Development Centre]

The Shwegyin Youth Development Centre (YDC) provides accomodation, education and vocational training to equip the children and youths to be ready for the society.

Summary FFM in Shwergyin YDC

Girls’ Hostel

Boys’ Hostel

Kitchen

Water Tank

Dining Hall cum Classrooms

Work shop

Shwegyin Girls’ Toilet cum Overhead Water Tank

Transport Lorry

BEFORE

KITCHEN & CLINIC

New classroom & Dining hall

Girls & Boys Hostels

Toilets

Overhead Water tank

[Build schools/ hostels]

FFM works closely with the Venerables in Myanmar as well as the local communities. The Venerables in Myanmar are highly respected by the locals, they were able to direct and take the leading role of gathering the villagers to engage in the task of rehabilitation. It is the positive response and engagement of communities that enabled the success and continuation of the school building projects by Firefly Mission.

Prior to the building of the schools, the project team consulted the local village communities and also requested the local Venerable to assist in overseeing the projects. Several site meetings were arranged to enable the various parties to discuss their needs and concerns. The respective village school committee has to lodge a caveat with Venerable before the construction begins, thus the completed school building is owned by the individual village themselves.

Since the beneficiaries were the local villages, the villagers of the respective village would help to carry building materials from the boat to the construction site. During the construction, the villagers were also engaged in carrying the menial work thereby freeing skill workers to concentrate on the job. The villagers are also required to plant trees to restore the environment and its watershed protection capabilities. The team worked well together and was able to complete the projects in good time.

Htantabin Monastery Oxygen Dispensary supply free oxygen cylinders. The dispensary supply oxygen to the poor families and also help to dispense oxygen to 3 hospitals in the areas. It is managed by Sayadaw Kaywala, who is chief abbot of Htantabin Monastery.

In Myanmar, many poor people who are sick and have to travel long distances to reach health facilities, by carts, public buses, or boats. The free ambulance service provides medical treatment to people who have difficulties to travel to the hospital .

The lorry also works as ambulance to ferry the people as work as to transport the oxygen cylinder

Clinic & Medical Facilities completed in 2017

10) Dey Kyite Village Clinic

[Builds Well]

Deep water well system benefiting more than 30,000 villagers.

Wells – Total 94

60 wells – Completed 2009 -2011

12 wells – Completed 2012

10 wells – Completed 2013

2 wells – Upper Myanmar

10 wells – Mawgyun 2014

[Build Bridges]

1) Nyein Oo – Completed in 2010.

2)Tha Pay Chaung Chaung – 2010 Completed

3) Mayan Village 215 feet – 2014 completed – Sponsored by Lim family

[Build Jetty]

1) Nyein Oo Jetty – 2010 Completed -Sponsored by IMO Mak Tack Meng

[Cataract Eye Operation]

Myanmar rural areas are mainly farmers who works long hours under the sun. Cataract is an increasingly common problem for the villagers. The annual eye cataract operation usually carried out during the Myanmar New Year in April is led by Dr Sa J Lwin with other volunteer doctors & nurses from Yangoon at the Nyein Oo Village, FFM Medical clinic.

Period: Since Apr 2010

Benefits: FFM sponsorship has brought sight for more than 1,400 patients.

[Feeding program @ Pyin Oo Lwin]

Support for the Feeding program @Pyin Oo Lwin is initiated by Sis Shuyin in January 2017. The Feeding Program is started by Min and Daw Ya Min, a teacher, once a week, she and a few volunteers cook a meal for the children as an important supplement to their diet.

In order to make the programme more effective, Sis Shuyin submitted a proposal to make the meal more nutritious by adding eggs, oats, barley, gingko nuts or other vitamin rich food to improve the quality. Starting with one location, the cost is US$50 per shanty per week. This would be 50×52= US$2,600 or $3,640 per shanty per year.

2017 – Benefited 600 children

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Firefly Mission would like to express its deep gratitude and thanks to all the people who have made this partnership project possible.